Welcome to Mr. Roche’s ESL class!

Contact: mroche@wcpss.net

Third Quarter

ESL 1: Grade six: Students are working on math and math vocabulary: Graphing; coordinate plane; x-and-y axis; positive and negative numbers. I work closely with the sixth grade teachers in order to align my class work with what the students are currently doing in their math classes.  

ESL 1: Grade seven and eight: Students are reading The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck. They will be learning a lot of new vocabulary and literay terms. We will be taking weekly vocabulary tests, focusing on spelling, part of speech, and definitions. Students will be reading in class. This is a great novel for beginning readers, and so far the students have really enjoyed it!

ESL 2: Grade 8:  Students are reading Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl. We will be focusing on new vocabulary and literay terms.

ESL 2: Grade 6 and 7: Students are reading War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. We will be focusing on new vocabulary, literary terms, as well as verb tense.  

General Information about the ESL 1 and ESL 2 classes at Daniels Middle School:

ESL 1

Students in ESL 1 will learn to read, to write, to speak, and to listen to the English language. Our primary text is the Inside textbook, level A.

Reading: Our reading program includes fiction (fantasy, historical fiction, and realistic fiction) and nonfiction (informational texts, journals, magazine and newspaper articles, personal narratives, photo essays, science articles, and travel articles.) We will practice phonics and decoding skills and utilize sight word lists.

Writing: We will write a variety of texts, including journals, reading logs, and personal narratives.

Speaking and listening: We will practice phonemic awareness, phonics, and decoding skills.

Grammar: We will study a variety of topics including: pronouns; present tense verbs; action verbs;  negative sentences; Yes-or-No questions; regular Past Tense Verbs, There is – and – There are statements; Contractions; Plural Nouns; Helping Verbs; Capitalization Rules; Possessive Nouns; Infinitives. 

ESL 2

Students in ESL 2 will read, write, speak, and listen to the English language. Our primary text is the Inside textbook, level C.

Reading: Our reading program includes Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Lyrics, and Dramas. Reading strategies include planning, monitoring, making connections, and visualizing.

Writing: We will write a variety of texts, including journals, reading logs, and personal narratives.

Grammar: We will study a variety of topics including: sentence types; nouns; subject-verb agreement; subject pronouns; pronoun usage; helping verbs; adjective and adverbs.

Policies

Daily Grade

Each day you must bring your materials to class. Materials include:  1 subject notebook (for ESL class only); and a pen or pencil.

Tardiness

If you are late for class, you will get one warning. After that, you will be sent to silent lunch detention. You must be in your seat ready to learn when the class begins.

Bathroom

You get four minutes between classes to use your locker and to use the bathroom. Bathroom use during class is for emergencies only.

Seating

I do not use a seating chart. However, if your behavior is a problem, your seat will be changed. If the class behavior is poor, a seating chart will be created.

Participation

You are expected to participate in class discussion. This includes raising your hand, reading, and other duties in the classroom. You will not learn by sitting and doing nothing!

Grades:

Daily grade 10%

Homework 10%

Quizzes 20%

Tests and Projects 30%

Classwork 30%